Unsung Hero Awards

2024 Unsung Hero Awards Winners

Unsung Hero Community Award: David Sudduth

David is described as a template for the perfect board chair. At the Greenville Tech Foundation, he leads by example. He and his wife have established an endowed scholarship so that others can enjoy the same educational foundation that he did between Navy service and transferring to Clemson. He has supported students in other ways, too, showing up for student events and often bringing a bag or two for Caring Corner when he visits the Foundation offices. He has worked with Foundation leadership to restructure the board, better positioning the group to raise both awareness and funds. And he has made a concerted effort to strengthen effective communication between the Foundation and the college.

Unsung Hero Community Award: Elton Harkness

Elton works tirelessly to uplift underserved communities. He is the driving force behind the James Curtis Harkness Foundation, which provides college scholarships, educational supplies, and funding to enrich the educational experience, enhance economic competitiveness, and promote personal development. Our honoree established the foundation in 2014 so that our former vice president’s memory would live on in the youth and young adults who can now access quality education regardless of their circumstances. As the foundation’s guiding light, this hero embodies the spirit of service and empathy. His commitment to helping students meet their academic needs echoes his brother’s legacy, reminding us all that education is not a privilege but a fundamental right.

Unsung Hero Employee Award: Robert Walker

Robert is known for patience and kindness, even at registration crunch times. He serves as the advisor for the School of Health Sciences and has been instrumental in helping countless students successfully navigate registration by helping faculty members with advising, placement testing, and questions about life scholarships. He is quick to respond to a phone call or an email, whether from a student or a faculty member, and he never tires of providing thorough and knowledgeable answers. He has also volunteered over many years to lead Greenville Tech Gives Back projects with Rebuild Upstate, again using patient guidance as employees and students come together to complete projects that allow some of our neighbors to remain in their homes.

Unsung Hero Employee Award: Muriel Anderson

Muriel is the first to arrive in the mornings, greeting students at the Testing Center with a warm welcome and an encouraging smile. She retired from the Academic Testing Center after 14 years of service but returned to the college in 2015. When the Academic and Student Services Testing Centers merged in 2021, she played a huge part in engaging all of her teammates in adjusting to the differing roles. She handles all academic scheduling, which involves clear communication with instructors wishing to have their students take tests and exams. She is also very involved in the community, serving as pastor of Higher Ground Church of Deliverance and as Chancellor of Higher Ground Christian Development Bible College and Seminary.

Unsung Hero Employee Award: Kristen Grissom

Kristen is well known for leading the very well-regarded Culinary Institute of the Carolinas, producing talent for Greenville’s growing restaurant and hospitality industry. Some of her community contributions are less well known. She has devoted many years of volunteer service to the local Make A Wish Foundation, which makes dreams come true for children with terminal illnesses such as cancer. Volunteers commit to hike over 28 miles in one day and to raise a minimum of $2,400 in pledges to fund wishes for children and their families. Not only has she completed this strenuous hike several times, but she also serves as a volunteer to provide supporting meals for the hikers during the weekend of their hiking expedition when they are lodged at a motel.